new thread
...at least, that's been my observation of late.
I noticed that whenever people post their pictures here, they are very rarely smiling.
I began to notice something. When people pose for pictures that are showing off something about their looks, it seems that they very rarely smile. I noticed on magazine covers, when people are trying to look sexy, they never smile.
Does smiling in a picture make people feel like they look less attractive? I don't know. I personally think everyone looks better(if not "sexier") when they smile, and if I ever post a progress picture, I think I will be smiling away!
I feel silly trying to fake a smile. I think I look like a dork if I do. I don't have a problem with my natural smile, it's just when I'm told I have to smile for a picture, then it gets all wrong, cause I'm too focused on it.
Maybe it's the same for others?
Yeah, I kinda know what you mean. I don't usually feel silly smiling for pictures, but sometimes it does feel a little fake. I remember at my prom dance there were SO many pictures taken of me and my date that by the end, our faces were hurting from smiling so much that we hardly had real smiles at all.
It's called the "attitude" pose. People generally feel they look better - "cooler" - when not smiling.
Several years ago, my family and I took a trip to Yellowstone National Park. That was the first year I decided to make every effort possible to not look like a tourist. In fact, I almost didn't bring my camera (a Poloroid at the time). In every picture that was taken, that features me, I'm assuming the "attitude" pose. After looking through the pictures a couple of years later, I realized just how stupid I looked.
So, I decided I'd never take another picture in which I'm not smiling. However, I didn't want to fake my smile, so I decided to find a reason for wanting to smile in pictures. This may sound corny, but I chose to celebrate life. Yup... I'm genuinely happy to be alive, and I love to express that in the pictures I take.
"Yup... I'm genuinely happy to be alive, and I love to express that in the pictures I take."
Michael agrees with you here. That is every reason to smile.
What a sexy attitude, with beautiful sentiments and a practical solution to the "posed-smile" problem. I say to smile, yep, yep, yep.
JE
I'm 100% with you on the difference between a genuine and a forced smile. Nothing is sexier, or just overall better looking than a real smile. I've gotten much better over the years at finding reasons to smile in pictures, my close friends have gotten good at making me smile, but you will notice in my project pictures I haven't been able to force one out yet. Maybe in another 9 months or so, when my hair is down to my chin, I'll find it easier to smile!
I don't usually smile for progress pics, normally because wind up looking like a complete muppet. I need to smile naturally for it to look attractive, if I try and force a smile it looks gawky.
Add to this a minor insecurity out my front teeth which have popped out of line and started to 'overlap one another' since my wisdom teeth have come through. So I tend to smile less generally.
I thought about fixing my teeth to improve my confidence in my smile, but its would involve wearing a brace for 18-24 months which would completely destroy my confidence in my smile.
I guess, now you know...
Sorted
Have you heard of Invisalign?
I was just going to post the same thing. Being 19, I am too old to get any brace on the NHS, plus I probably wouldn't dare have one anyway. I discovered Invisalign late last year, and have debated whether or not to look further into the matter. At £2000 or so I'd need a very reassuring guarantee of its success.
Actually I hadn't though I suspected such a product existed. At $2000 they are not much more expensive than the grotesque metal work being proposed by my Dentist. However my dentist obviously does not work with them.
I could try a different odontologist, but I suspect my option are someone limited living as a I do on a rock in the North Atlantic.
Plus I'd have to save up some serious cash... $2000 + fitting + monthly check-ups and regular adjustments etc. etc.. My guess is I'd need around $3000 Dollars saved to make this work.
Sorted
I know what you mean about insecurities of front teeth. I wore a fixed brace, but I only needed it for 12 months, and now wear a removable on every night, sometimes every two nights.
I think having a brace put in is the best thing, but it depends how crooked your teeth are. My front teeth were huge bugs bunny like teeth, but now they've gone together and look a lot better.
Think about it.
I think if I let this become an issue I could really let it take over my sense of perspective, I'm naturally an obsessive person so I don't think its good for me to become overly concerned about any other aspects of my appearance.
If money were not an issue and I could get a product like Invisalign, I would not hesitate, but given that my teeth will a) never look brilliant and b) are not like that lead singer from the Pogues. I really don't think they are worth the money trying to fix. Especially as my teeth could relapse into their former shape and I play contact sports which regularly involve gettin smacked in the mouth.
Overall I question whether or not it is worth it.
I think it has something to do with smiling opens up the heart of your soul and they don't want to open up because most of the things models have done to look good like plastic surgery is not really them, so they avoid smiling to avoid showing their guilt.
Of course some models smile and it looks great, makes them look more in touch with reality, like Cameron Diaz, for example, she's always grinning 24/7:)
Probably true.
When you flirt with someone, you are either laughing or smiling. It's that physical communication that continues to engage the other person into the conversation. It gives it a light-hearted mood.
It depends on your taste. "Sexy" traits can be anything from being serious, which is commonly without smiling, to funny and laughing.
To take it a step further, showing of teeth in animal behaviour means to be more dominant than the other. Think about it, can domination be sexy too?
I think everybody looks better when they're smiling
people going for "looks" or "sexiness" are just ego driven zombies so of course they don't smile or look good.
-vincent
I think the only reason why those super models aren't smiling is because they're hungry. Heehee;)
Someone give them a Cheeseburger or something. They need some calcium too! Got Milk?
Everyone looking at the camera and giving their best smile? That's for school photos where everyone is required to pose the same way. It's also for candid photos where people don't have time to prepare for your off the cuff pictures (nothing is prepared in those type of photos, kind of like deer in the headlights).
Good photographers want to capture the essence of a subject and unless that subject always walks around with a big smile on their face (most people don't and it's not related to their happiness or lack of) then it's a better representation of a person and their looks to have expressions other than big teeth-filled smiles on their faces. Also, if your photo (in the case of models) is trying to portray something else than the model his/herself (products, etc.) then having a big attention getting smile will put the focus on the model's personality at the moment and not the product so much. People tend to notice things like smiles because it is very strong body language.
Even with self photos that have become very popular with the advent of digital cameras and the internet it takes practice and a purpose to convey other moods convincingly as pretty much everyone out there is an amature.
Well observed! The problem usually is a smile wont look good on camera unless its genuine. If the atmosphere is good and your smiling alot then its easy to smile on command, but when someone does it at random at a time thats somewhat laid back then the smile comes out looking forced. I hope that makes sense, one the things that bugs the hell out of me is when someone I barely know wants to take my picture and they say "come on smile" that just drives me insane, I mean, give me something to smile about first! lol
Depends on the smile. Usually if done naturally (off camera) it is completely natural and can say a whole lot of things.
But in front of the lense is another story. The smile so often is "put-on," looks fake (because it is) and doesn't do the person justice. I think the "failure rate" is rather high and the person looks so often silly with that FAKE Smile.
Much more safe is a more natural photo without the smile. And, if you want a knock-out look, for some reason B+W seems to be so much better than colour. They are some of the sexiest of all. (My opinion only of course.)
Picture Purged
I think you're right - smiling is not sexy as often as a smouldering serious look. Of course a beautiful smile can attract you to someone, but it's on rarer occasions that the smile itself is sexy.
That's just my observation...
...and it doesn't mean in my photos I'm trying to look sexy. I just feel very 'under-the-microscope' in photographs.
Here's a smile.
Picture Purged
Ever try smiling at a dog? It doesn't think it's sexy! It thinks you are "baring your fangs" and takes it as a sign of aggression. get high and contemplate this...IT MAKES SENSE.
Cheers~ Prince Jeffrey
